Some say the Old Fashioned was the first drink to be called a cocktail. The traditional construction has the bartender dissolving a sugar cube in a splash of water and bitters by stirring, stirring, stirring, before adding ice and bourbon.
Does anyone still buy sugar in cubes? I fear they're rather démodé. I prefer to use home-made sugar syrup - it requires less stirring and won't leave you crunching on stray granules. I neglected the garnish because my fruit bowl contained nothing but bananas - please don't make that mistake. My bourbon was Bulleit.
Old Fashioned
60ml (2oz) bourbon
Two dashes Angostura bitters
Two dashes sugar syrup
Orange peel.
Place syrup and bitters in an Old Fashioned (tumbler) glass along with an ice cube and mix well. Steadily add the bourbon and further ice cubes, one at a time, stirring all the while. Garnish with twist of orange peel.
The Old Fashioned rendered my 40% Bulleit surprisingly smooth. As a vehicle for bourbon, and a reliable after-dinner drink, it's hard to beat.
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